Dallas Stars: Does Tyler Seguin Want Out of Dallas?
As the season approaches, the Dallas Stars’ most crucial offseason necessity remains unchanged: extending the contract of Tyler Seguin. As the days pass without news of an extension from the Dallas Stars, the rumor mill continues to turn.
Do you remember being a teenager? Heck, maybe you are a teenager.
Do you remember the feeling after the first date with that special guy or gal? That feeling of being on cloud nine and preparing your whole future with a person you barely knew? What a time to be alive!
But after a couple of days of not hearing from your date, your mind begins to wander. Did he like me? What did I do wrong? OMG, he hates me! With zero evidence to go on, your mind wanders to the worst possible outcome. Of course, maybe he dropped his phone in a lake and is frantically trying to find a way to get ahold of you. Believe that, if it gives you comfort. Reality is usually easier to explain.
More from Blackout Dallas
- Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
- Grushnikov and Stankoven lead Dallas Stars to 6-3 win over Columbus
- Dallas Stars prospects look to wrap up tournament with a win
- Burn the tapes: Dallas Stars prospects lose 5-1 to Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dallas Stars look to continue success today against the Maple Leafs
We in the media have this issue at times. No, not with members of the opposite sex, but with players and stories. If something doesn’t happen to our exact preconceived notions, our thoughts wander the dregs for answers.
Grasping at straws
This brings us to Tyler Seguin.
It’s well-known the Dallas Stars are adamant about signing their number-one center to a long-term contract, but at this point in the offseason, no deal has been reached. As the offseason moves to its latter portion, sportswriters are positing theories as to why the two sides haven’t reached an agreement.
Enter Yahoo! Sports’ Steven Psihogios, who late last week proposed the most alarming theory to date: Seguin doesn’t want to re-sign with Dallas because they’re bad. Psihogios writes:
There are many benefits to playing in Dallas, but one aspect that could prove to dissuade Seguin from committing what remains of his prime seasons is the franchise’s consecutive sixth-place finishes in the division since finishing with the Western Conference’s best record in 2015-16.Significant improvements in terms of on-ice talent haven’t necessarily been made, so what if the Stars miss the playoffs for a third straight year?
At 26 years old, Seguin has at least six years remaining in his prime. That alone should dissuade this theory, but Psihogios goes on:
So if a deal doesn’t get done, and the team bangs its head on the wall for another season with the same cast of characters and same slate of concerns, perhaps the skilled centre will consider the options that would come available to him at season’s end.Dallas is entering its sixth season with Seguin and has just one playoff series win to show for it.
Let’s get something out of the way right off the bat: the Stars have struggled over the last two seasons, missing the playoffs both years; however, it has little to do with the talent on the ice. Sure, they’ve underachieved during this time — don’t forget ESPN picked Dallas to win the Central Division in 2017-18 — but it’s not like the Stars are bringing up the rear of the Western Conference or lacking talent.
Central vs. Everyone
The Stars domination of the Pacific Division illustrates this point. Outside of the Vegas Golden Knights, the Central had arguably six of the seven best teams in the Western Conference. The Stars did their part against the Pacific, posting a 15-9-0 record.
In fact, the Central demolished every other division in hockey, with six of the seven teams ending the year with a positive point differential. The Stars were at a +10.
The idea that Seguin would leave a young, competitive team because they underachieved is absurd. By age, the Stars sat right in the middle of the league in 2017-18, and they’re getting younger this season. Jim Nill has done an excellent job of slowly opening the Stars’ window of opportunity.
Next. How Seguin Talks Could Affect The 2018-19 Season. dark
Seguin might be in a different uniform in 2019-20. If so, it’ll be due to a fat, well-deserved contract. It won’t be because he’s running to a winner. But, hey, at least it’s not another Erik Karlsson article.